Sabriel (Character)
Sabriel is on a boat! Canon Information Background and History: :Sabriel is the Abhorsen, basically the only legally-sanctioned necromancer in her world. It's an inherited title. She uses necromancy to fight necromancy. :She comes from the Old Kingdom. Before it was founded, Free Magic pretty much wreaked havoc across the world. The founders of the Old Kingdom bound free magic by creating the Charter, an unending series of symbols which both defines and describes the universe. The Charter is upheld by five pillars, three in the form of bloodlines and two in physical constructs: the Royal line; the line of the Abhorsen; the line of the Clayr; charter stones which are scattered throughout the Kingdom; and the Wall to the south, which largely contains all magic . :Sabriel died pretty much straight after being born, but her daddy broke the rules and revived her. She was raised largely in Ancelstierre, south of the Old Kingdom, at a posh girls' boarding school, and so knew little of her father's or her own significance, or the history and state of the Kingdom. :Her father taught her about necromancy, especially that it was bad and her job to prevent. :At school she was an overachiever and all-round teacher's pet. But just before her graduation, a Dead messenger showed up and delivered her father's sword and bells to her. She took this as a sign that he was in trouble, and set off for the Old Kingdom to rescue him. She found the Kingdom in an advanced state of zombie apocalypse, and upon reaching her father's house, she was told that it had been this way for two hundred years and that it was her job to fix it. :Sabriel refused to believe her father dead and therefore also refused the job, resolving to find him instead. She set off for the Kingdom capital accompanied by a snarky free magic cat-being called Mogget. On the way, she freed a handsome prince from a wooden figurehead and he tagged along. She found her father trapped in Death in the capital. She revived him, but he'd been in Death too long and would die for real in only hours. He did give her instructions on how the Big Bad could be killed off for real though. :He then rang Astarael, sacrificing himself to buy Sabriel time. All who hear Astarael's toll are torn from their bodies and flung far into Death. But Sabriel somehow ended up on the Elegante. Go figure. Abilities and Limitations: :Okay this was just way too long and confusing so I'm going to explain it as I understand it. :Sabriel is a Charter Mage. The Charter consists of a whole bunch of 'marks' which are basically individual properties, adjectives or verbs that can be cast in a variety of ways, e.g. 'light,' 'heat,' stuff like that. Sabriel's good at that kind of casting, but it usually only works on objects and is pretty weak. You can link a whole bunch of properties, adjectives and verbs together with a 'master mark' to cast various spells. Sabriel's not good at this type of casting, but she's learning. The few spells she knows well are: * The funeral pyre: cremates a dead body, removing the spirit's last anchor to life. * Knife Marks: Three marks which materialize as three silver knives flung from Sabriel's fingertips. Unfortunately the spell takes far more time and energy aboard the ship, so any opponent has plenty of time to react before the knives appear. * Net spell: Casts a net woven of magic, designed to impede an opponent rather than hurt them. Lasts all of two minutes before fading. * The Diamond of Protection: Four marks set at the four points of a compass which, when cast correctly, form a diamond that repels all physical and magical forms of entry or harm to those inside it. Those within can still attack though, as long as they don't set foot outside the diamond. It is the biggest god-mode in the series incredibly limited aboard the Elegante exhausting to cast and lasts thirty minutes at most and less depending on the strength brought to bear against it. :While the ship's Free Magic and the Charter Magic within Sabriel's own blood means she can cast aboard the ship, it's ridiculously more difficult than it would be at home. An extended effort leaves her with a migraine radiating from the mark on her forehead, sometimes nausea, and in the most extreme cases, a repellent-effect which leaves her cut off from the Charter and guarantees her casting will go awry. :Sabriel's necromantic abilities include sensing the boundary between life and death, and crossing that boundary at will. She can also sense the Dead, those who have died and had their spirits corrupted by Death, but have found their way back to the living world. :Unfortunately, Death has been warded aboard the Elegante, so Sabriel can no longer cross into it. She is also unable to sense those who have died and been resurrected via 'the system.' :As the Abhorsen, she wields seven bells to bind and banish the Dead. They generally only effect Dead spirits or, if used inexpertly, Sabriel herself. They are: * Ranna: Puts dead spirits to sleep. * Mosrael: Wakes the Dead at the expense of the ringer, drawing them further into death the further the dead advance toward life. * Kibeth: Can allow or direct the movement of the Dead. If used inexpertly, can force the ringer to walk instead. * Dyrim: Restores speech to the Dead, or takes it from them. * Belgaer: Can either restore or erase thought, intelligence and memory. * Saraneth: Binds the Dead to the wielder's will. * Astarael: Draws all who hear it, living or Dead, far into Death. :When she is without bells, as she is on the Elegante, there are corresponding spells that Sabriel can invoke by humming, singing, whistling or clapping. But these spells are far less potent than the bells themselves. :She can sing, obviously, but learned the art as a skill for magic/necromancy rather than for its own sake. That is, she has learned the technique but has no real talent. Her singing lacks emotion. Sabriel also has a solid grounding in fighting arts, mainly with a sword and very basic self-defense. She doesn't have a lot of practical experience though. Appearance :Sabriel is only eighteen, and looks it despite her somber attitude. She is 5'6", has dark black hair which she wears in a 1920s classic bob, and very dark brown eyes. Her skin is a very pale white. She has a symbol stenciled on her forehead. It's usually too faint to see and concealed by her bangs besides, but it will flare up if touched by someone with a magical aptitude. Personality: :If it weren't for the fascination with death and the fact that she was thrown into zombie apocalypse immediately upon leaving school, Sabriel would be your average 1920s debutante. She's spent the last twelve years of her life safely ensconced in the world of private girls' schooling, and so in any new social situations, she tends to rely on the manners and etiquette she was brought up with. She will usually be polite toward most people but will react differently based on class, gender, species and age. She is a social sort of person and likes to talk, but she doesn't react partcularly well to having her expectations about people subverted. It will usually leave her either cross or embarrassed, but it's something she's needed and will continue to need to get used to. : :While she is both responsible and dutiful, Sabriel dislikes any form of secrecy or deception. She will follow orders if she can see the sense in them, but she does not like being made to feel like a pawn. That said, she is not particularly good with strategy or tactics. Her plans generally consist of running head first into a situation and hoping nothing goes wrong. That's not to say she is stupid. She is pretty recklessly curious, and will investigate anything supernatural - particularly anything to do with death or the undead - at the drop of a hat. That curiosity also means she loves reading and picks things up from books very quickly. : :She can take the lead in tense situations, particularly if there's some supernatural force involved or anything else she feels she has a good grasp of. She doesn't have a very good sense of humour. She will often miss that she's being made fun of, will put up with sarcasm but doesn't usually engage in it, and finds a lot of other jokes just plain vulgar. While she's happy as long as she's got something to keep her mind busy, she doesn't smile or laugh all that much, beyond common courtesy. Elegante Deaths: Warnings & Punishments: Relationships * Anna (+ +) Shape-shifter with a beautiful singing voice. She's one of the many people aboard who confounds Sabriel's definition of humanity. Anna is human. Anna also has a somewhat chaotic ability. * Bartimaeus (+ +) Obnoxious, arrogant djinn-creature who nonetheless pointed out that she needed to relax and appreciate what the boat had to offer. She... Was actually starting to almost-like him. Well, tolerate him. * Cecil (+/-) He seems pleasant enough except OH HE'S A NECROMANCER; instant dislike. * Catpaw (+ + +) Strange cat-like person. Sabriel can relate to her in a lot of ways. * Godric (+) A very civil vampire. Why must dead creatures persist in being so very humane? She actually found herself not disliking him. * Ezekiel (+ + +) A cook and a nice man, even if he does worship a zombie. The pair of them seem to have a knack for making conversations awkward, but they get along. * Jin (+/-) A reaper, sort of aloof. Sabriel can't say she likes him yet. But she's inclined to, given their similarities in opinion. * Joe (+/-) Some sort of shirtless felon. He was civil enough, but she doesn't really know what to think of him yet. * Karis (-) Anti-social Dead creature. Really, the fact that 'anti-social' is the worst Sabriel can say of her is something of a compliment. * Kevas (+ + +) Troll-thing with a really... unique hat. Despite the fact that he tried to kill when they first met, she seems to get along with him quite well. * Lirael (+ +) Half-sister from the future?!? Sabriel did not have enough time to get to know her, and was so thoroughly confused by her that she can't say whether she liked her or not. But she's family, right? * Marco (+) Well-organized but secretive. She doesn't really trust his word. * The Rowan (+ +) Friendly telepath from space. They don't have all that much in common, but seem to get along regardless. * Vanyel (+) Team leader, and the person who taught her that Free Magic did not need to be corrosive. His manner is familiar and that is enough to put Sabriel at her ease around him. * Vie (+ + +) Strange woman who does not like dresses. Sabriel actually trusts her though. Other Stuff, Links App Category:Characters Category:Active Category:Fandom Category:The Old Kingdom